


Two Hearts in 3/4 Time

by mresundance



Series: Standalone Trans Fics [9]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Bottom Hannibal, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, FTM Will, M/M, Trans Male Character, Will Knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2015-08-10
Packaged: 2018-04-14 00:36:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4543446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mresundance/pseuds/mresundance
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will doesn't exactly <em>enjoy</em> dancing. </p><p>Too bad Hannibal wants to take him to a fancy dinner party with -- yes -- <em>dancing</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Hearts in 3/4 Time

Will knew Hannibal might find reading another person's mail rude, but it was hard not to notice it in passing. The cream-colored invite sat open on that little shelf space just outside the kitchen.

The general gist was a fancy soiree at someone's house, including dinner and dance, and required all the proper attire. The only word Will really noticed was _dance,_ however, and he felt irritable just thinking about it.

It didn't help that Hannibal was in high spirits, whisking around his kitchen while he hummed along to Vivaldi, and cooked up something obscenely decadent and delicious. Will detected turmeric and mint, and the heavy sweetness of lamb roasting.

"Good evening, Will," Hannibal fairly chirped.

"Hannibal," Will nodded.

"Red or white?"

"Pink," Will said, just to be contrary.

Hannibal raised his eyebrow.

"Was it a rough day at work?"

"Not really," Will answered. "I see you got an invite to a dinner party."

"Yes," Hannibal fawned. If he wasn't such a handsome bastard Will might hate his pea-cocking more. As it was, it just made Hannibal more endearing to him.

Hannibal handed him a glass of wine. Will downed it, noisily and sloppily, without even smelling it first, just to see the wrinkle of distress between Hannibal's eyebrows.

"The party is in a month," Hannibal explained as he prepared a vinaigrette.

"Are you going with anyone?" Will said to his wine-glass.

It was a feeble attempt, and passive-aggressive, but Will had to _try._

Hannibal looked at Will with genuine surprise. Will poured himself more wine and enjoyed the fact he could elicit that expression from Hannibal, even when he was being a shit.

Maybe especially when he was being a shit.

"You are my plus one, Will. Of course."

"You can't ah, take Bedelia? Or Alana?"

"In the former instance it would hardly be professional, and in the latter, well -- I am not dating Alana, am I?"

He turned to check the roasting lamb and Will gulped more of the wine, even though it wasn't helping.

"But, Hannibal, this party involves . . . _dancing._ "

"Dancing?" Hannibal tossed the vinaigrette through the salad.

" _Dancing_ ," Will echoed morosely.

"Yes, dancing, Will. It's an act in which people -- sometimes even in pairs -- move together in lively manner, often in choreographed movements."

"Okay, Dr. Webster's Dictionary."

Hannibal rolled out the lamb, and the succulent aroma preoccupied Will as they moved into the dining room. 

"You needn't be anxious about the dancing, Will," Hannibal said as he served. "I am sure you are not at all deficient in that category."

Will snorted as Hannibal sat down.

"I didn't say I was, Doctor."

"No you did not," Hannibal agreed.

While they ate, they moved on to other topics: Will's latest case, an article Hannibal was writing about the Chesapeake Ripper.

"Don't you think you could be a little more subtle sometimes?" Will asked as they finished dessert.

Hannibal only smiled, and Will rolled his eyes.

Insufferable, cruel, cunning, assholeish, beautiful man.

* * *

Will rolled off Hannibal's back, careful as he pulled the strap-on out. He would have preferred to lay on top of Hannibal indefinitely, the both of them languishing in their sweaty and warm post-coital daze, but the strap-on was becoming uncomfortable.

Hannibal remained on his stomach, eyes closed, and he seemed perfectly content as Will dusted kisses up his spine.

"Good?" Will asked.

"Yes," Hannibal said, simply.

When he didn't elaborate, it meant he'd been so well and thoroughly fucked his expansive vocabulary escaped him, at least for a few minutes. Will, smug and proud, straddled Hannibal's hips and began massaging his shoulders and back. He enjoyed feeling how loose and boneless Hannibal was after sex.

"Will?"

"Hm?"

"Why were you -- terse -- about the dancing, earlier?"

Of course. Hannibal just spent the last hour sweating, pleading, and panting with pleasure, lay in an unspooled, blissed-out heap, and had already regained his mental facilities enough to actually _converse_. And to converse about things that mattered.

Will contemplated spanking Hannibal just to see if he shut up, but Hannibal would just bring the topic up again at some point.

"It's stupid," Will said.

"It's not stupid if it matters to you," Hannibal noted.

Will sighed and blanketed Hannibal with his body.

"It's just weird," he admitted. "Dancing, I mean. I'm not bad at it. It's just -- _weird_."

With his fingers, he followed the tendons and bones from Hannibal's shoulder down his arm.

"Growing up -- when I was a girl, I guess --" he grimaced. Words never explained these things well, if at all. "When I was living as a girl," he corrected. "Mawmaw and Dad both tried to teach me how to dance. It just felt wrong."

He rolled off, and Hannibal turned on his side, so they were facing one another. Will ran his knuckles over Hannibal's ribs, enjoying how he shivered beneath his touch.

"When I went to prom, it was like a last ditch effort at female heterosexuality or something. I had hand-me-down dresses and skirts from cousins, and stuff from the Salvation Army and Goodwill, for my entire life. Even for dances. And for prom I wanted --" he sighed. "I wanted something of my _own_. And I wanted to be _pretty_ , at least _once,_ dammit. No one looked at me in high school."

"I find that hard to believe," Hannibal rumbled.

"Believe it," Will said, sliding his arm around Hannibal's waist and drawing him nearer.

"If they did notice me, I wouldn't have believed them. I didn't much like seeing myself, and I definitely didn't seem myself as _attractive_."

Hannibal put his hand on Will's chest, fingers grazing the scars there.

"Anyways, I saved up money from the job I worked and bought a 110 dollar dress from Dillard's."

"Oh my," Hannibal snuggled against Will.

"Right? Big spender. But that was a shit-ton of money for me. And it really was a beautiful dress. Sapphire blue. Over the shoulder. Diamond rhinestones. Even you had to approve just a little."

Hannibal murmured agreement.

"But it was weird. The whole thing. It didn't feel _right_? You know? Dancing as a girl. Whatever that means. And then I transitioned and it still felt weird. I thought it was just -- part of adjusting. I even took a ballroom dance class. But it still felt weird."

Hannibal kissed Will's collarbone.

"Why is dancing weird to you?"

Will sighed as Hannibal's palm ran over his hip, and cupped his ass, just lightly.

"Are you going to try and ply me with sex, Dr. Lecter?"

"Don't avoid the question, Will," Hannibal said as he squeezed Will's ass.

Will laughed.

"I don't like leading," he admitted.

"Why?"

"It feels awkward as hell. Before transition it was expected I would _be_ led, and then after it was expected I would _lead_. The former was weird because I was being treated like a girl, the latter because I was being treated like -- a man. I guess the expectation that I would want one thing or another purely because of what people thought was between my legs was -- obnoxious -- to say the least. One girlfriend even made fun of me."

"Did she?"

"She asked me why I bothered transitioning if I wasn't going to be a _man_."

Hannibal snorted.

"Rude," he said.

"Yes," Will agreed. He rolled onto his back, allowing Hannibal's weight to settle over him. He leaned up to kiss Hannibal, and Hannibal, both hands now cupping Will's ass, squeezed in time to their kissing. Will moaned, feeling Hannibal begin to harden -- _already_ \-- and to feel his own arousal -- his hardness, his heat and wetness.

Hannibal broke the kiss. His smile was positively devilish as he kissed his way down Will's body, and then between his thighs.

* * *

When Will arrived home the next day, exhausted from his most recent case, dinner was ready. This was not Hannibal's usual custom, but Will was grateful to eat early, and in silence. It wasn't a tense silence; just the kind which allowed Will space.

Once Will was becalmed, by the quiet and the food and Hannibal's steadying company, Hannibal cleared his throat.

"I have a surprise for you," he said while they cleared the dinner table.

"Oh?" Will said.

Drowsy and relaxed now, he let Hannibal take him to the living room.

All the furniture had been pushed back against the walls.

"Redecorating?" Will hazarded while Hannibal went to his stereo system and put on some music.

"No," Hannibal said. "Take off your shoes, Will, it's easier to practice without them."

"Practice?" Will mulled as he took his shoes off. His mind felt a little doughy, all things considered, and it took him a few moments. He couldn't quite recognize the song, but it sounded suspiciously like -- [a waltz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPmwHRSGRiw).

"Oh shit -- no Hannibal -- _no_ \--" Will said as Hannibal slid his arms around him.

"Just follow," Hannibal said as the music swelled and he practically _dragged_ Will to the center of the floor.

Will contemplated stomping on Hannibal's feet.

"Sneak attacks like this are _not allowed,_ Hannibal --"

"You know, Will, here is something intensely powerful about being led. About trusting another enough to lead you. Especially when a man allows another man to lead him."

Will groaned.

But Hannibal only smiled and began to waltz.

Will dug his heels in.

"Just let me lead you, Will," Hannibal said.

Will finally just gave up. It was easier not to fight, and it would be over sooner if he didn't. Still, he hunched and bunched resentfully against Hannibal, bracing for the impending weirdness.

"You're in my space," Hannibal said, coaxing Will into a proper frame.

"Okay, Patrick Swayze."

"Should I put on ['Hungry Eyes'](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sYKI4A3uhc) instead?"

"Please, no." And then: "You got that reference?"

"Do give me some credit, Will," Hannibal said as he swept them onwards.

Will worried the pace would make him stumble, but instead he -- they -- began to float. It was like being caught by a wave. The easy dip and sway, and then a slow pulling as the wave mounted. He bobbed, up, up -- and away -- carried by the wave, an exhilarating rush, which ended but then began again.

Will laughed in surprise, and then pleasure, as Hannibal led him all around the living room with strength and ease.

"We're going to do an underarm turn, Will."

"Uhm --"

Will had no choice; he was turning. He might even have said it was _elegant_ \-- it felt elegant, at least -- but he was sure that was more to do with Hannibal.

Hannibal caught him, his body firm and grounding, and Will allowed himself to finally relax.

"You see? It's not so bad."

They waltzed onwards for a few minutes, and Will couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm going to dip you, Will."

"I'm a little too heavy for that, Hannibal."

"Don't worry."

The world arced and titled quiet beautifully. He was falling, but also held fast. And it was wonderful, sensuous: allowing himself to beheld like this, vulnerable, trusting, and unashamed. 

"Wow," he said, as Hannibal pulled him back up. "I knew you were a good dancer, but wow."

"You enjoyed yourself, I take it."

"Yes," Will said, sliding his arm around Hannibal's waist.

"Mmm," Hannibal rumbled, purring like the cat who'd got the cream.

Will kissed Hannibal, gentle and slow.

"Thank you," he said.

"It was my pleasure," Hannibal said.

They stood together for a few more moments, before breaking. Hannibal began to haul furniture back to its proper place, until Will put his hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Can we -- leave it?"

Hannibal frowned -- the _but I don't know if I could endure that_ \-- kind of frown. It would make him anxious to have things out of their perfectly aligned order for too long.

"We won't leave it like that for more than a day or two," Will said, running his hand down Hannibal's back. "I just want to dance with you a few more times."

This time it was Hannibal who relaxed against Will.

"Very well," he said.

He turned, offering his lips. Will closed his eyes, to savor it -- but then the world began to shift again.

"Goddammit, Hannibal," he laughed as Hannibal began another waltz.

Beautiful, cruel, lovely, insufferable man.

**Author's Note:**

> Once upon a time, zabira on Tumblr [unearthed this post from long ago](http://mresundance.tumblr.com/post/86931120992/okay-now-i-want-to-write-a-hannigram-fic-that), where I chattered about an idea for [another trans!Will fic I'd written](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1693424). That idea never fit with that 'verse, so I just wrote it as a stand-alone. :D


End file.
